Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones, 3-0 as a college starter including a win in the national championship game, says he will return to the Buckeyes for his final two years of eligibility.

Jones called it a "very simple" decision, which he announced Thursday at a packed news conference at his former high school in Cleveland.

The move surprised many who expected the fanfare meant he would make himself available for the NFL draft.

Jones, who spent a year at a military school and also had a redshirt season with the Buckeyes, could have turned pro. In his only college starts he led Ohio State to wins in the Big Ten title game, the Sugar Bowl and Monday night's national championship.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder will return to vie for the QB job with Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett.